Rule-holder.



I w. n. FERRIS.

RULE HOLDER.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 1. I916.

Patented Mar. 27, 1917.

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INVEIIQTEIR ATTURNEYE.

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WARREN D. FERRIS, OF BUFFALO, NEW YORK.

RULE-HOLDER.

Specification of Letters latent.

Patented Mar. 2'7, 1917.

Application filed May 1, 1916. Serial N 0. 94,644.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WARREN D. FERRIS, a citizen of the United States,residing at Buffalo, in the county of Erie and State of New York, haveinvented new and useful Improvements in Rule-Holders, of which thefollowing is a specification.

This invention relates to the clips or holders employed for retaining arule, mechanics scale or similar article in a garmentpocket andpreventing its accidental loss.

The object of my invention is the production of an efficient device ofthis character which permits the ready insertion and removal of the ruleand which can be cheaply manufactured.

In the accompanying drawings:

Figure 1 is a front view of the holder applied to a pocket, showing arule clasped in the holder. Fig. 2 is a vertical section on line 22,Fig. 1. Figs. 3 and 4 are perspective views of the holder taken fromdifferent sides thereof.

Similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts throughoutthe several views.

The rule-holder comprises a clasp consisting of front and rear bars ormembers 1 and 2 preferably formed by doubling a strip of spring metal orother suitable material upon itself, whereby the members are connectedtogether at one end of the clasp and disconnected at the other. Theseclasp members are spaced a sufficient distance apart to snugly receive arule or similar article. The free ends of the clasp-members areseparated to admit the rule laterally between them and the bodies of themembers. To hold the rule more reliably from accidental lateraldisplacement through the open side of the clasp, the free end of itsfront member 1 is bent inward sufficiently to form a guardlip 3, but notso far as to interfere with the convenient insertion of the rule. Thecorresponding end of the rear clasp-member is preferably bent in thesame direction, as shown at 4, to form a wide or flaring mouth at theopen end of the clasp.

Extending. downwardly from the front member 1 of the clasp are a pair ofspring tongues 5 and 6 arranged one in front of the other and properlyspaced apart to tightly embrace the face or front wall of agarment-pocket for clasping the holder thereto. To facilitate thepassage of the tongues over said wall, their lower ends are bent awayfrom each other to form a flaring mouth, as shown. The lower end of therear tongue is normally bent or curved inwardly or rearwardly beyond thefront member of the clasp, as. shown by dotted lines in Fig. 2, so thatupon fully inserting the rule said tongue is strained or deflectedforwardly, as shown by full lines in said figure, thereby retaining therule in the clasp with sufficient security to prevent its accidentalwithdrawal and loss by the movements of the wearer, such as bending overor reaching for objects on the floor.

The bend connecting the upper portions of the spring tongues preferablyextends a short'distance above the clasp-members l, 2, so that when thetongues are lowered to their limit on the face of the pocket, the claspis concealed, as shown in Fig. 1.

In the use of the holder, it is readily applied by passing the springtongues over the edge of the pocket, and the rule is placed into theclasp by pushing it laterally between the clasp-members.

The entire holder with its clasp and tongues can be stamped from asingle blank of spring steel or other appropriate material, enabling itto be marketed at nominal cost.

I claim as my invention 1. A holder for a rule or the like, comprising aclasp composed of substantially horizontal front and rear membersconnected at one side of the clasp and disconnected and separated at theother side thereof to re-,

ceive the rule laterally between them, a spring-tongue extendingdownwardly from said front member and adapted to bear against the faceof a garment-pocket and a second spring-tongue also depending from thefront member of said clasp and adapted to bear against the inner side ofthe pocket and the face of the rule, the free lower end of said secondtongue being bent inwardly beyond the front member of the clasp.

2. A holder for a rule or the like, comprising a clasp consisting of asubstantially horizontal strip doubled on itself and having its membersspaced apart and its free ends separated to receive the rule laterallybetween them, a pair of spring-tongues carried by the front member ofsaid clasp and extending downwardly therefrom, said tongues beingarranged one in front of the other and adapted to embrace the face of agarmentpocket and the rear tongue being bent in- Wardly beyond the frontmember of the clasp to bear against the face of the inserted rule.

3. A holder for a rule or the like, comprising a clasp consisting ofasubstantially horizontal strip doubled on itself and having its membersspaced apart and its free ends separated to receive the rule laterallybetween them, the free end of said front clasp-mem- 10 ber having aninwardly-bent guard-lip, a

pair of spring-tongues carried by the front member of said clasp andextending downwardly therefrom, said tongues being arranged one in frontof the other and adapted to embrace the face of a garment-pocket and therear tongue being bent inwardly beyond the front member of the clasp tobear against the face of the inserted rule.

WARREN D. FERRIS.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. 0.

